KPMG Women’s PGA Championship: Rose Zhang struggles, Leona McGuire dominates

Rose Zhang is shortly changing into one of many faces of golf. The 20-year-old phenom out of Stanford is enjoying within the first main of her professional profession. Zhang posted a 1-under 70 on Thursday on the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship.

That put her inside the highest 10. Friday was a special story although. Zhang struggled to get something going, enjoying by means of heavy rain throughout her spherical.

She completed with a profession worst 3-over, 74. To be fully honest, she has performed six rounds whole in her professional profession.

She beforehand grew to become the primary girl since Beverly Hanson in 1951 to win their LPGA debut. Zhang captured the Mizuho Americas Open Championship in a playoff towards Jennifer Kupcho earlier this month.

She battled on the entrance 9, alternating dropping and selecting up pictures. However on the again 9, issues went sideways.

She bogeyed the par-4 1st and the par-4 fifth. After getting one again on six, Zhang went bogey-double over the subsequent two holes. That dropped her right into a tie for fortieth. Nonetheless, the rookie confirmed some gumption and salvaged a birdie on her remaining gap to complete out the spherical.

Regardless of her struggles, Zhang made the lower. She enters the weekend 2-over, sitting tied for twenty eighth.

In the meantime, final week’s champion, Leona McGuire, continued to play properly. She carded a 3-under 68 Friday to take a solo lead into the weekend at 5-under par.

Historic Baltusrol has performed very troublesome up to now this week. There are solely 15 girls below par. If Zhang desires to make much more historical past, she’s going to must go actually low Saturday.